Teen Task Force Confronts Bullying Issues

Hauppauge teens determined to take a stand against bullying are coming together in a task force at the library. 

Hauppauge Public Library kicked off its first Bullying Task Force session, led by counselor Kelly Stack, at which 11 local teens gathered to discuss bullying, a topic of high concern especially when it comes to cyberbullying in schools. It starts a three-week project aimed at educating local teens on bullying, how to take a stand and what to do if they spot a problem. 

"With all of the things we're hearing in the news lately, we thought it was a timely program to run for students to bring their awareness and give them some tools to combat it," said Children's librarian Joanne Adams. 

Kelly Stack, a counselor with a masters in school counseling from Long Island University in 2010, led 11 Hauppauge students ranging in age from sixth grade to 11th grade through workbook exercises designed to explore the definition of bullying. 

"The difference between teasing and bullying, to me, is that teasing is playful.  Teasing might make you laugh, where bullying is painful," Stack said. 

The counselor said she freely shares her own personal experiences of dealing with bullying, helping her relate to the students. Stack has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects movements and motor control, that resulted in childhood teasing. 

"I had two instances where I was cyberbullied, and once where I had to get the police involved," Stack said. 

She first started counseling students about bullying at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library in October 2010, and the program has been so popular its still ongoing. 

The three-week session at Hauppauge Public Library will take a look at different forms of bullying , verbal, physical and cyberbullying; what a bystander is; the difference between reporting and tattling or ratting out a bully, and actions to take. Students will be act out scenerios and learn how to take a stand against bullying.  

No students were spoken to, as the Task Force was closed Door. Stack has a policy of universal respect and complete confidentiality within each group. Teens who did not attend the first session on Monday night are welcome to attend the later sessions on Feb. 7 and Feb. 14, 7 - 8 p.m. 

Hauppauge Public Library originally scheduled a Cyberbullying and Social Networking Safety course taught by the Suffolk County Police Department for parents to run before this session. It was cancelled due to the Jan. 26 and 27 snowstorm. The program is rescheduled for later this spring, according to Adams.